Wireless communication system configured to communicate using a mixed waveform configuration

ABSTRACT

A wireless communication system configured to communicate using a mixed waveform configuration. The mixed waveform includes a first portion modulated according to a single-carrier scheme with a preamble and header and a second portion modulated according to a multi-carrier scheme. The waveform is specified so that a CIR estimate obtainable from the first portion is reusable for acquisition of the second portion by the receiver. The transmitter may include first and second kernels and a switch, where switch selects the first kernel for the first portion and the second kernel for the second portion to develop a transmit waveform. The receiver may include a single-carrier receiver, a multi-carrier receiver, and a switch that provides a first portion of a signal being received to the single-carrier receiver and a second portion of the signal being received to the multi-carrier receiver.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application is based on U.S. Provisional Patent Applicationentitled “Wireless Communication System Configured to Communicate Usinga Mixed Waveform Configuration”, Serial No. 60/306,438, filed Jul. 6,2001, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to wireless communications, and moreparticularly to a wireless communication system configured tocommunicate using a single-carrier to multi-carrier mixed waveformconfiguration.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)802.11 standard is a family of standards for wireless local areanetworks (WLAN) in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 Gigahertz (GHz) bands. Thecurrent 802.11 b standard defines various data rates in the 2.4 GHzband, including data rates of 1, 2, 5.5 and 11 Megabits per second(Mbps). The 802.11b standard uses direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS)with a chip rate of 11 Megahertz (MHz), which is a serial modulationtechnique. The 802.11a standard defines different and higher data ratesof 6, 12, 18, 24, 36 and 54 Mbps in the 5 GHz band. It is noted thatsystems implemented according to the 802.11 a and 802.11b standards areincompatible and will not work together.

A new standard is being proposed, referred to as 802.11 g (the “802.11 gproposal”), which is a high data rate extension of the 802.11b standardat 2.4 GHz. It is noted that, at the present time, the 802.11 g proposalis only a proposal and is not yet a completely defined standard. Severalsignificant technical challenges are presented for the new 802.11 gproposal. It is desired that the 802.11 g devices be able to communicateat data rates higher than the standard 802.11b rates in the 2.4 GHzband. In some configurations, it is desired that the 802.11b and 802.11g devices be able to coexist in the same WLAN environment or areawithout significant interference or interruption from each other,regardless of whether the 802.11b and 802.1 g devices are able tocommunicate with each other. It may further be desired that the 802.11 gand 802.11b devices be able to communicate with each other, such as atany of the standard 802.11b rates.

A dual packet configuration for wireless communications has beenpreviously disclosed in U.S. patent application entitled, “A Dual PacketConfiguration for Wireless Communications”, Ser. No. 09/586,571 filed onJun. 2, 2000, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.This previous system allowed a single-carrier portion and an orthogonalfrequency division multiplexing (OFDM) portion to be loosely coupled.Loosely coupled meant that strict control of the transition was not madeto make implementations simple by allowing both an existingsingle-carrier modem and an OFDM modem together with a simple switchbetween them with a minor conveyance of information between them (e.g.,data rate and packet length). In particular, it was not necessary tomaintain strict phase, frequency, timing, spectrum (frequency response)and power continuity at the point of transition (although the power stepwould be reasonably bounded). Consequently, the OFDM system needed toperform an acquisition of its own, separate from the single-carrieracquisition, including re-acquisition of phase, frequency, timing,spectrum (including multi-path) and power (Automatic Gain Control[AGC]). A short OFDM preamble following the single carrier was used inone embodiment to provide reacquisition.

An impairment to wireless communications, including WLANs, is multi-pathdistortion where multiple echoes (reflections) of a signal arrive at thereceiver. Both the single-carrier systems and OFDM systems must includeequalizers that are designed to combat this distortion. Thesingle-carrier system designs the equalizer on its preamble and header.In the dual packet configuration, this equalizer information was notreused by the OFDM receiver. Thus, the OFDM portion employed a preambleor header so that the OFDM receiver could reacquire the signal. Inparticular, the OFDM receiver had to reacquire the power (AGC), carrierfrequency, carrier phase, equalizer and timing parameters of the signal.

Interference is a serious problem with WLANs. Many different signaltypes are starting to proliferate. Systems implemented according to theBluetooth standard present a major source of interference for802.11-based systems. The Bluetooth standard defines a low-cost,short-range, frequency-hopping WLAN. Preambles are important for goodreceiver acquisition. Hence, losing all information when transitioningfrom single-carrier to multi-carrier is not desirable in the presence ofinterference.

There are several potential problems with the signal transition,particularly with legacy equipment. The transmitter may experienceanalog transients (e.g., power, phase, filter delta), power amplifierback-off (e.g. power delta) and power amplifier power feedback change.The receiver may experience AGC perturbation due to power change, AGCperturbation due to spectral change, AGC perturbation due to multi-patheffects, loss of channel impulse response (CIR) (multi-path) estimate,loss of carrier phase, loss of carrier frequency, and loss of timingalignment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A wireless communication system configured to communicate using a mixedwaveform configuration is disclosed and includes a transmitterconfigured to transmit according to a mixed waveform configuration and areceiver configured to acquire and receive packets with a mixed waveformconfiguration. The mixed waveform includes a first portion modulatedaccording to a single-carrier scheme with a preamble and header and asecond portion modulated according to a multi-carrier scheme. Thewaveform is specified so that a channel impulse response (CIR) estimateobtainable from the first portion is reusable for acquisition of thesecond portion.

In one configuration, the transmitter maintains power, carrier phase,carrier frequency, timing, and multi-path spectrum between the first andsecond portions of the waveform. The transmitter may include first andsecond kernels and a switch. The first kernel modulates the firstportion according to the single-carrier modulation scheme and the secondkernel generates the second portion according to the multi-carriermodulation scheme. The switch selects the first kernel for the firstportion and the second kernel for the second portion to develop atransmit waveform. In one embodiment, the first kernel operates at afirst sample rate and the second kernel operates at a second samplerate. The first kernel may employ a single-carrier spectrum thatresembles a multi-carrier spectrum of the multi-carrier modulationscheme.

The first kernel may employ a time shaping pulse that is specified incontinuous time. The time shaping pulse may be derived by employing aninfinite impulse response of a brick wall approximation that istruncated using a continuous-time window that is sufficiently long toachieve desired spectral characteristics and sufficiently short tominimize complexity. The first kernel may sample the time shaping pulseaccording to a Nyquist criterion. The average output signal power of thefirst kernel and the average output signal power of the second kernelmay be maintained substantially equal. The first kernel may employ afirst sample rate clock while the second kernel employs a second samplerate clock. In this latter case, the first and second sample rate clocksare aligned at predetermined timing intervals. Also, a first full sampleof the multi-carrier modulation scheme begins one timing interval afterthe beginning of a last sample of the single-carrier modulation scheme.

The single-carrier signal from the first kernel may be terminatedaccording to a windowing function specified for OFDM signal shapingdefined in the 802.11a standard. The carrier frequency may be coherentbetween the first and second kernels. The carrier phase may be coherentbetween the first and second kernels. In one embodiment to achievecoherent phase, carrier phase of the second kernel multi-carrier signalis determined by carrier phase of a last portion of the second kernelsingle-carrier signal. The carrier phase of the second kernelmulti-carrier signal may further be rotated by a corresponding one of aplurality of rotation multiples, each rotation multiple corresponding toone of a plurality of predetermined phases of the last portion of thesecond kernel single-carrier signal. In a particular embodiment, thefirst kernel single-carrier modulation scheme is according to 802.11bBarkers in which each Barker word is one of first, second, third andfourth possible phases and the second kernel multi-carrier modulationscheme is according to OFDM as defined in Annex G of the 802.11astandard. In this case, the OFDM symbols are rotated by the secondkernel by zero if the last Barker word has the first phase, by 90degrees if the last Barker word has the second phase, by 180 degrees ifthe last Barker word has the third phase, and by −90 degrees if the lastBarker word has the fourth phase.

The requisite fidelity of the entire mixed waveform configuration may bespecified by a requisite fidelity specified for the multi-carrierscheme. In one embodiment, the requisite fidelity is a function of datarate of the second portion and is determined by mean-squared-errornormalized by signal power as specified for OFDM in the 802.11astandard.

The symbol rate clock and carrier frequency of the waveform may bederived from the same reference clock. The part per million (PPM) errorof a clock fundamental for symbol rate and PPM error of a clockfundamental for carrier frequency may be substantially equal.

The receiver may include a single-carrier receiver, a multi-carrierreceiver, and a switch that provides a first portion of a signal beingreceived to the single-carrier receiver and that provides a secondportion of the signal being received to the multi-carrier receiver. Thesingle-carrier receiver acquires a first portion of an incoming signalincluding the preamble and header and determines a CIR estimate, and themulti-carrier receiver uses the CIR estimate for a second portion of theincoming signal. In a specific configuration, the single-carrierreceiver programs taps of the first equalizer based on the CIR estimate,the multi-carrier receiver includes a second equalizer, and themulti-carrier receiver modifies taps of the second equalizer based onthe CIR estimate determined by the first equalizer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained when thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiment is consideredin conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a WLAN system including four devicesoperating within the same room or area, where two of the devices areimplemented according to the 802.11b standard and the other two areimplemented according to the 802.11 g proposal.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a mixed signal receiver implementedaccording to an embodiment of the present invention that may be used ineither or both of the high rate devices of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a mixed signal packet implementedaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are graph diagrams of plots of the spectrum of the802.11b Barker chips and the 802.11a OFDM, respectively.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are graph diagrams of time domain plots of the 802.11bQPSK Barker chips and the 802.11a OFDM, respectively, illustrating thatthe waveforms are radically different.

FIG. 6A is a graph diagram of a plot of the power spectral density (PSD)of a single sub-carrier out of the possible 64 possible sub-carriersdefined in the 802.11a standard.

FIG. 6B is a graph diagram of a plot of the composite PSD of the 52non-zero sub-carriers used in 802.11a.

FIG. 7A is a graph diagram of a plot of an exemplary “brickwall”double-sided spectrum centered at 0 MHz.

FIG. 7B is a graph diagram of a portion of the associatedinfinite-duration time response corresponding to the brickwall spectrumof FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8 is a graph diagram of a plot of an exemplary continuous-timewindow, which is a continuous time version of a Hanning window.

FIG. 9 is a graph diagram of a plot of the Hanning window of FIG. 8overlayed with the portion of the infinite-duration time responsecorresponding to the brickwall spectrum of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 10 is a graph diagram of a plot of the exemplary pulse p(t)resulting from the overlaying illustrated in FIG. 9 and truncated toapproximately 0.8 μs.

FIG. 11 is a graph diagram of a plot of the spectral characteristics ofthe pulse p(t) illustrating that it is a close match to the OFDMspectrum.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an exemplary digital filter employed toarchitect a digital 22 MHz output sample rate using the continuous timepulse p(t).

FIG. 13 is a graph diagram illustrating the sampling and polyphasedecomposition of the continuous time pulse p(t) using the samplingscheme of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of another exemplary digital filter employedto architect a digital 20 MHz output sample rate using the pulse p(t).

FIG. 15 is a graph diagram illustrating the sampling and polyphasedecomposition of the continuous time pulse p(t) using the samplingscheme of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a transmitter implemented according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a graph diagram comparing the 11 MHz Barker chip clock versusthe 20 MHz OFDM sample clock.

FIG. 18 is a conceptual graph diagram illustrating alignment of the OFDMsignal portion with the last Barker word of the header of thesingle-carrier portion.

FIG. 19 is a graph diagram illustrating normal OFDM symbol overlap.

FIG. 20 is a graph diagram illustrating exemplary 802.11a OFDM symbolonset and termination.

FIG. 21 is a graph diagram illustrating exemplary single-carriertermination, shaped consistent with 802.11a, and OFDM onset shapedidentical to 802.11 a.

FIG. 22A is a simplified graph diagram of a BPSK plot illustrating thatBPSK incorporates both real and imaginary portions in two quadrants (1of 2 phases).

FIG. 22B is a simplified graph diagram of a QPSK plot illustrating thatQPSK incorporates both real and imaginary portions in all four quadrants(1 of 4 phases).

FIG. 23 is a graph diagram of a plot illustrating the phase of the lastBarker word in the 802.11 g header and the relative phase of the OFDMsymbol in accordance with that described in Annex G of the 802.11astandard.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT(S) OF THE INVENTION

A configuration according to the present invention reuses the equalizerinformation obtained during acquisition of the single-carrier portion ofthe signal. In this manner, no OFDM preamble is required, although itstill may be present for both convenience and fine tuning. The presentdisclosure describes a technique for providing complete continuitybetween the single-carrier and OFDM (multi-carrier) segments. Thiscontinuity is provided by specifying the transmit waveform completelyfor both the single-carrier and OFDM segments and specifying thetransition. This enables complete continuity between the two signalsegments, including AGC (power), carrier phase, carrier frequency,timing and spectrum (multi-path). In this manner, the signal does nothave to be reacquired by the multi-path portion of the receiver sincethe information developed during the single-carrier portion(preamble/header) is valid and used to initiate capture of themulti-carrier portion. Maintaining and accumulating information makesthe signal much more robust in the face of common interferencesexperience in wireless communications.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless local area network (WLAN) system100 operating within a particular room or area 101, including four WLANdevices 103, 105, 107 and 109 (103-109) are located within the area 101.The devices 103 and 105 are implemented according to at least one ofseveral embodiments of the present invention with the 802.11 g proposalin mind, whereas the devices 107 and 109 are implemented according tothe 802.11b standard. All of the devices 103-109 operate in the 2.4 GHzband. The devices 103-109 may be any type of wireless communicationdevice, such as any type of computer (desktop, portable, laptop, etc.),any type of compatible telecommunication device, any type of personaldigital assistant (PDA), or any other type of network device, such asprinters, fax machines, scanners, hubs, switches, routers, etc. It isnoted that the present invention is not limited to the 802.11 gproposal, the 802.11b standard, the 802.11a standard or the 2.4 GHzfrequency band, although these standards and frequencies may be utilizedin certain embodiments.

The devices 107 and 109 communicate with each other at any of thestandard 802.11b rates, including 1, 2, 5.5 and 11 Mbps. The devices 103and 105 are mixed signal mode devices that communicate with each otherat different or higher data rates using a mixed signal configurationaccording to any one of several embodiments, such as the standard802.11a data rates of 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 or 54 Mbps. Alternativedata rate groups are considered herein. The second group is advantageousas including two of the 802.11b standard data rates, namely 5.5 and 11Mbps.

In one or more first embodiments, the mixed signal devices 103-109 mayoperate or coexist in the same area 101 without significant interferencefrom each other, where the devices 103, 105 communicate with each otherat different or higher data rates than the 802.11b devices 107, 109. Inthe first embodiments, the devices 103, 105 may communicate with eachother while the devices 107, 109 may communicate with each other, butthe devices 103, 105 do not communicate with the devices 107, 109. Inone or more second embodiments, at least one of the mixed signal devices103, 105 is configured with a standard mode to be able to communicatewith either of the devices 107, 109 at any one or more of the standard802.11b data rates. In at least one third embodiment, the mixed signaldevices 103, 105 communicate at different or higher data rates and areincompatible with the devices 107 and 109, so that the devices 103-109are not able to coexist within the same area 101. The mixed signaldevices 103, 105 may be implemented to operate in the 2.4 GHz band,although other frequency bands are contemplated.

In the first or second embodiments, it is desired that the devices 103and 105 be able to communicate with each other without interruption orinterference from either of the devices 107 and 109. This presents asignificant technical challenge since the devices 103, 105 operate atdifferent data rates when communicating with each other. The presentinvention solves this problem by enabling the devices 103 and 105 to beimplemented to be able to communicate with each other at different or athigher data rates while residing in a same area 101 as the 802.11bdevices 107, 109. Further, in the second embodiments the devices 103,105 may also communicate with either of the devices 107, 109 at the802.11b data rates.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a mixed signal receiver 201 implementedaccording to an embodiment of the present invention that may be used ineither or both of the devices 103, 105. The incoming signal is receivedby an automatic gain control (AGC) 203 that adjusts receive power andprovides a corresponding signal to a switch 205. The switch 205initially provides the received signal to a single-carrier receiver 207.The single-carrier receiver 207 includes an equalizer and othercircuitry that analyzes the predetermined preamble of the receivedsignal compared to known data and “learns” the parameters associatedwith the multi-path medium through which the signal was propagated. Thesingle-carrier receiver 207 also examines the header to determine if thepacket is intended for the mixed signal receiver 201 and if the packetis a mixed packet, and if so, causes the switch 205 to provide theremaining portion of the incoming signal to a multi-carrier receiver209. It is noted that the header includes a mixed mode identifier (notshown), such as a mode bit or the like, that identifies the packet as amixed mode packet. Thus, in one embodiment, the single-carrier receiver207 determines that the packet is intended for the mixed signal receiver201 from a destination address or the like, and determines that thepacket is a mixed mode packet from the mode identifier. If the packet isintended for the mixed signal receiver 201 but is not a mixed modepacket (e.g., a standard 802.11b packet), then the single-carrierreceiver 207 continues to process the packet. A length field is alsoprovided in the header which includes a length value that identifies thetotal length of the mixed mode packet. Thus, any device, including mixedmode or legacy devices (e.g. 802.11b devices), may determine that thepacket is not intended for it, and backs-off by an amount of timecorresponding to the length value.

The multi-carrier receiver 209 is configured to receive the signal,which is transmitted according to OFDM or the like. The multi-carrierreceiver 209 is coupled to the single-carrier receiver 207 so that themulti-path information determined by the single-carrier receiver 207 isre-used to enable a smooth transition between the packet portions of theincoming signal. In particular, the AGC (power), carrier frequency,carrier phase, equalizer, and timing parameters from the single-carrierreceiver 207 are used by the multi-carrier receiver 209 to receive theincoming signal. The OFDM multi-carrier receiver 209 need not re-acquirethe signal, since the information used by the single-carrier receiver207 is obtained and used.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a mixed signal packet 301 implementedaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. The packet 301includes a Barker Preamble 303, which is transmitted at 1 megabits persecond (Mbps), followed by a Barker Header 305, which is transmitted at1 or 2 Mbps, followed by one or more OFDM symbols 307 incorporatingpayload data, which is transmitted at any selected data rate from amongtypical data rates of 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 or 54 Mbps with aselected sample rate of 20 megahertz (MHz). The preamble 303 and header305 are transmitted with a single carrier at the 11 MHz Quadrature PhaseShift Keying (QPSK) symbol rate (and Binary Phase Shift Keying [BPSK] isalso contemplated). Different OFDM sample rates are contemplated, suchas 18.333 megahertz (MHz), 22 MHz, etc., in which the same principlesapply. The transmit signal is specified for complementary code keyingOFDM, or CCK-OFDM (802.11b preamble and header using Barkers [singlecarrier] followed by OFDM [multi-carrier]). The OFDM portion of thewaveform can optionally be one of several effective sample rates (e.g.,22, 20, or 18.33 MHz). The packet 301 is shown employing the 802.11asample rate of 20 MHz. The goal is to specify the signal so that thechannel impulse response (CIR) estimate obtained on the preamble andheader is reusable on the OFDM. Hence, the transition is completelyspecified, with no free variables, which allows important equalizerinformation to be retained at switch-over. Also, it is desirable toeliminate receiver power changes due to the signal transition. A powerstep may cause legacy equipment to enter an undefined state, since theydo not have knowledge of the OFDM, nor the capability to receive it.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are graph diagrams of plots of the spectrum of the802.11b Barker chips and the 802.11a OFDM, respectively, in decibels(dB) versus normalized frequency (freq). Spectrum refers to centerfrequency, power spectral density, and frequency response. The 802.11bBarker chip spectrum has a round “top” whereas the 802.11a OFDM spectrumhas a flat top. The 3 dB bandwidths are also different. FIGS. 5A and 5Bare graph diagrams of time domain plots of the 802.11b QPSK Barker chipsand the 802.11a OFDM, respectively, illustrating that the waveforms areradically different. It is desired to create a smooth transition betweenthe preamble/header single-carrier portion 303, 305 and the OFDM symbolportion 307 even though the waveforms are different. One solution is tomake the 802.11b Barker preamble and header look like OFDM withapproximately the same transmit spectrum and approximately the samepower.

FIG. 6A is a graph diagram of a plot of the power spectral density (PSD)of a single sub-carrier out of the possible 64 possible sub-carriersdefined in the 802.11a standard, in dB versus frequency. FIG. 6B is agraph diagram of a plot of the composite PSD of the 52 non-zerosub-carriers used in 802.11a. The curves are plotted versus normalizedfrequency (nfreq) and frequency in MHz, respectively. It is desired todesign a spectrum/time shaping pulse, which makes the spectrum of thesingle-carrier portion of the signal resemble OFDM. This pulse is madeknown so that the receiver is able to compensate the CIR for the OFDMportion of the packet. The pulse is specified in continuous time, sothat it is implementation independent. For digital implementations, thepulse may be sampled at any desired appropriate implementation rate. Thesignal should provide a nearly flat spectrum in the pass-band withsufficiently steep roll-off on the band edges. It is desired that thetransmit pulse be easily handled by 802.11b legacy receivers. It shouldhave a dominant peak, therefore, with a small amount of spread in theimpulse response. This allows the 802.11b receiver to lock on to thisimpulse response component. It is desired that the signal have a shortduration to minimize complexity.

FIG. 7A is a graph diagram of a plot of an exemplary “brickwall”double-sided spectrum centered at 0 MHz, having a magnitude of 1 at aselected bandwidth of approximately 2(8.5)=17 MHz and 0 otherwise. Abrickwall spectrum is essentially an idealized low-pass filter. Theexemplary frequency range is selected as (2)(27)(20 MHz/64)=16.875 MHzin the embodiment shown. FIG. 7B is a graph diagram of a portion of theassociated infinite-duration time response corresponding to thebrickwall spectrum. In general, a target spectrum is chosen for thesingle carrier system. This is done by specifying a brickwallapproximation to the desired spectrum. A brickwall spectrum has aninfinite impulse response in the time domain (i.e., spans from+/−infinity). The pulse is then truncated using a continuous-timewindow. A long enough window is chosen to give the desired spectralcharacteristics while a short enough window is chosen to minimizecomplexity, each generally employing engineering judgment.

FIG. 8 is a graph diagram of a plot of an exemplary continuous-timewindow, which is a continuous time version of a Hanning window. It isappreciated that this is only one of many different windowconfigurations that may be successfully employed to achieve desirableresults. FIG. 9 is a graph diagram of a plot of the Hanning windowoverlayed with the portion of the infinite-duration time responsecorresponding to the brickwall spectrum. FIG. 10 is a graph diagram of aplot of the resulting exemplary pulse p(t) truncated to approximately0.8 μs so that it is zero outside +/−0.4 μs. The short duration of thepulse p(t) provides low complexity. FIG. 11 is a graph diagram of a plotof the spectral characteristics of the pulse p(t) illustrating that itis a close match to the OFDM spectrum. The spectral characteristics ofthe pulse p(t) include a nearly flat spectrum where OFDM is flat and afast roll-off where OFDM rolls off. The continuous time pulse can beused to construct any digital filter unambiguously and is independent ofparticular implementations. The Nyquist criteria (sampling of thecontinuous time pulse) should be satisfied at the level of the targetfidelity. The pulse p(t) is “digitized” or sampled according to theNyquist criterion. In some embodiments, the samples are then decomposedas described further below.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an exemplary digital filter 1201 employedto architect a digital 22 MHz output sample rate using the continuoustime pulse p(t). In this case, an exemplary QPSK symbol generator 1203provides an 11 MHz signal to respective inputs of each of a pair ofpolyphase digital filters 1205 and 1207. The QPSK symbol generator 1203,used as an exemplary transmitter for illustration, passes each symbol (acomplex number) to both of the digital filters 1205 and 1207 at a rateof 11 MHz each. Each digital filter 1205 and 1207 samples the inputwaveform and generates an output at 11 MHz. The digital filter taps 1205are composed of even numbered samples and the digital filter taps 1207are composed of odd numbered samples of the pulse p(t). Select logic1209, such as multiplexor (MUX) circuitry or the like, selects everyoutput of the polyphase digital filter taps 1205 and 1207 to achieve a2(11)=22 MHz sample rate signal. FIG. 13 is a graph diagram illustratingthe sampling and polyphase decomposition of the continuous time pulsep(t) (plotted versus time in microseconds, “μs”). Since every output ofevery filter is used, the effective sampling rate is 22 MHz.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of another exemplary digital filter 1401employed to architect a digital 20 MHz output sample rate using thepulse p(t). In this case, an exemplary QPSK symbol generator 1403,similar to the generator 1203, provides an 11 MHz signal to respectiveinputs of twenty polyphase digital filters 1405, 1407, 1409, . . . 1411.Each digital filter 1405-1411 generates an output at 11 MHz, so that thesampling rate is increased from 11 MHz to 220 MHz. Each filter consistsof the samples spaced 20 samples apart. Select logic 1413, such asmultiplexor (MUX) circuitry or the like, selects one of every 11 outputsof the polyphase digital filters 1405-1411 to achieve a 20 MHz samplesignal. For example, for the first QPSK symbol, the respective outputsof filters 1 and 11 are used and for the second QPSK symbol, therespective outputs of filters 19 and 10 are used, etc. Also, one out ofevery eleven input symbols will generate 1 output sample, whereas theremaining input samples each generate two output samples. FIG. 15 is agraph diagram illustrating the sampling and polyphase decomposition ofthe continuous time pulse p(t) plotted versus time. Since one out ofevery 11 outputs is used of the 220 MHz combined output of the filters1405-1411, the effective sampling rate is 20 MHz.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a transmitter 1601 implemented accordingto an embodiment of the present invention. The transmitter 1601 includesan OFDM Kernel block 1603 supplying the OFDM portion of the signal to asoft switch block 1607, which receives the 802.11b preamble and headerportion from an 802.11b preamble/header Kernel block 1605. The softswitch block 1607 provides the 802.11 g signal to a digital to analogconverter (DAC) 1609, which provides a resulting analog signal to alow-pass filter (LPF) 1611. The filtered signal is provided to a SAWfilter 1613, illustrating that linear distortions are induced on bothsignal segments. The output of the SAW filter 1613 is provided to oneinput of a mixer 1615, having another input which receives a localoscillator (LO) signal from a local oscillator 1617. The mixer 1615asserts a mixed or combined signal at its output.

Distortions can be induced in the transmitter, multi-path channel andreceiver. An obvious linear distortion in the transmitter is a SAWfilter, such as the SAW filter 1613. In communications systems, it isfrequently assumed that linear distortions are common and (essentially)time-invariant across waveform symbols. For example, linear distortionsare assumed common between the preamble/header and payload portions forboth 802.11a and 802.11b communications. In a similar manner, lineardistortions of the transmit radio are assumed to be common to both thesingle-carrier segment and the multi-carrier segment. In this manner, aspectral binding requirement is imposed to allow the equalizerinformation and the AGC to carry over from single- to multi-carrier.

The transmitter 1601 further illustrates a sample-power matching schemeto enable the AGC information to carry over from single-carrier tomulti-carrier portions of the signal. In particular, it is desired thatthe average signal power output from the OFDM Kernel block 1603, asshown at 1620, be approximately the same as the average signal poweroutput from the 802.11b preamble/header Kernel block 1605, as shown at1622.

FIG. 17 is a graph diagram comparing the 11 MHz Barker chip clock shownat 1701 versus the 20 MHz OFDM sample clock shown at 1703, both plottedversus time in μs. The 802.11b communication scheme uses a chip rate of11 MHz. The 802.11b preamble/header uses 11 chip Barker words, so thatthere are 11 chips/μs. The 802.11a OFDM uses a 20 MHz sample rate. Inthe embodiment shown, in order to achieve transition time alignment, the802.11b (11 MHz) and 802.11a (20 MHz) signal segments are aligned at the1 MHz boundary, every 1 μs interval, illustrated by alignment epochs1705 at each 1 μs interval. FIG. 18 is a conceptual graph diagramillustrating alignment of the OFDM signal portion with the last Barkerword of the header of the single-carrier portion. The first chip of eachBarker word, shown at 1803, is centered on the 1 μs alignment. The firstfull 20 MHz sample of the OFDM signal, shown at 1801, occurs 1 μs afterthe zero-phase peak of first chip of the last Barker word in the header.Effectively, one half-scale OFDM sample, shown at 1805, occurs beforethe full scale sample (for smoothing). Such transition time alignmentallows the equalizer information and the timing information to carryover between the single- and multi-phase portions of the signal.

FIG. 19 is a graph diagram illustrating normal OFDM symbol overlap. FIG.20 is a graph diagram illustrating exemplary 802.11a OFDM symbol onsetand termination. FIG. 21 is a graph diagram illustrating exemplarysingle-carrier termination, shaped consistent with 802.11a as shown at2101, and OFDM onset shaped identical to 802.11a, as shown at 2103. Asillustrated in these graph diagrams, the single-carrier is terminated ina controlled fashion when transitioning from single-carrier tomulti-carrier. This single-carrier termination maintains the AGC at thepoint of transition, minimizes the signal power gap, which in turnminimizes the corruption of one signal by the other. The single-carriertermination of the 802.11b segment is similar to that used for 802.11aOFDM shaping. 802.11a specifies a windowing function for OFDM symbols,which is employed to define termination of single-carrier segment. Thesingle-carrier signal is terminated in a predetermined window of time,such as nominally 100 nanoseconds (ns). It is not necessary tocompletely flush the single-carrier pulse-shaping filter. The resultingdistortion to the last Barker word in the header is trivial compared tothe 11 chips processing gain, thermal noise and multi-path distortion.The termination may be accomplished either explicitly in the digitalsignal processing or by analog filtering.

It is further desired that the carrier frequency be coherent for bothwaveform segments, achieved by using a single LO signal via the localoscillator 1617. This allows the equalizer information to carry over.Carrier frequency lock may be maintained with a phase-lock loop (PLL)circuit or the like.

It is further desired that the carrier phase be aligned, which allowsthe equalizer information to carry over. FIG. 22A is a simplified graphdiagram of a BPSK plot illustrating that BPSK incorporates both real andimaginary portions in two quadrants (1 of 2 phases). FIG. 22B is asimplified graph diagram of a QPSK plot illustrating that QPSKincorporates both real and imaginary portions in all four quadrants (1of 4 phases). The single-carrier signals, employing Direct SequenceSpread Spectrum (DSSS), are fundamentally different as compared to theOFDM signal format and modulation schemes. For 802.11 g CCK-ODFM, eitherof these formats are re-used for the header.

FIG. 23 is a series of graph diagrams illustrating the phaserelationship between the last Barker word, rather than the last chip, inthe 802.11 g header and subsequent OFDM symbol samples. Annex G of the802.11a standard describes how to transmit an OFDM symbol including realand imaginary components. The arrows shown at 2301, 2303, 2305 and 2307illustrate the four possible phases of the last Barker word. The phaseof the OFDM symbol is determined by the phase of the last Barker word,in that each OFDM sample is either not rotated or rotated by the same,predetermined amount based on the phase of the last Barker word. Thearrows shown at 2302, 2304, 2306 and 2308 represent the correspondingfour relative phase shifts applied to the OFDM symbol corresponding tothe Barker phase illustrated by arrows 2301, 2303, 2305 and 2307,respectively. For example, if the phase of the last Barker word is inthe first quadrant, then the phase of the OFDM symbols will be rotatedby zero degrees (not rotated, or multiplied by 1) relative to the OFDMphase as described in Annex G of the 802.11a standard. Furthermore, ifthe phase of the last Barker word is in the second quadrant (135 degreephase rotation), then the phase of the OFDM symbols will be rotated by90 degrees relative to the phase of the samples in 802.11a Annex G(i.e., multiplied by “j”); if the phase of the last Barker word is inthe third quadrant (−135 degree phase rotation), then the phase of theOFDM symbols will be rotated by 180 degrees relative to the phase of thesamples in 802.11a Annex G (i.e., multiplied by “−1”); and if the phaseof the last Barker word is in the fourth quadrant (−45 degree phaserotation), then the phase of the OFDM symbols will be rotated by −90degrees relative to the phase of the samples in 802.11a Annex G (i.e.,multiplied by “−j”).

In many design implementations, it is often desired to know the relativeaccuracy and fidelity requirements to maintain signal integrity andcompatibility among different transceivers. In this manner, designersare able to reduce costs and maximize efficiency while maintainingparameters and characteristics within specification. The accuracycharacteristic constrains the short-cuts the transmit designer may makewhich may otherwise significantly harm receiver performance. In oneembodiment, the requisite fidelity of the entire waveform behavior isestablished using a metric based on the fidelity requirements of theOFDM signal of the 802.11a standard. Thus, the requisite fidelity of thesingle-carrier portion is the same as the multi-carrier portion eventhough the single-carrier portion is typically at a reduced data rate.As described in the 802.11a specification, the requisite fidelity forOFDM is set by the error vector magnitude (EVM) specification, asillustrated in the following Data Rate versus EVM Table 1:

TABLE 1 Data Rate versus EVM specification Data Rate Mbps EVM Spec 6 −59 −8 12 −10 18 −13 24 −16 36 −19 48 −22 54 −25

where data rate is specified in Mbps and EVM is specified in dB. Asillustrated in Table 1, the OFDM accuracy is a function of the datarate. The higher the data rate, the more complex and intricate thetransmit waveform, and the greater the accuracy necessary. Thisrequisite fidelity is applied to the entire waveform. EVM is the samething as mean-squared-error (MSE) normalize by the signal power. MSE maybe measured after best-fit time alignment, best-fit gain alignment, andbest-fit phase alignment. Also, linear distortion common to OFDM and thesingle-carrier Barker chips may be backed-out, if desired. If and whenthe 802.11b accuracy specification becomes more stringent, it may beused for the single-carrier portion.

Portions of 802.11b specification and all of the 802.11a specificationemploy a locked-oscillator requirement. A locked oscillatorcharacteristic allows timing tracking information to be derived fromcarrier frequency and phase. There are two fundamental clocks in atransmit waveform: a symbol rate clock and a carrier frequency. In atleast one embodiment of the transmitter, all of the 802.11 g signalshave a symbol rate clock and carrier frequency derived from the sameclock reference. It is further desired that the part-per-million (PPM)error on these two clock signals be equal. The receiver is allowed totrack symbol rate timing from carrier frequency error.

The multi-carrier receiver 209 portion of the mixed signal receiver 201obtains the behavior of the transition from the single-carrier receiver207 of the waveform as described herein to receive the ODFM portion ofthe signal. The carrier frequency and phase is coherent. Furthermore,the time alignment, the signal level (AGC), and the channel impulseresponse (CIR) are each coherent. The single-carrier receiver 207determines the CIR estimate during the single-carrier portion. Themulti-carrier receiver 209 modifies the CIR estimate for the OFDM usingthe known pulse shape used by the single-carrier segment. In particular,the equalizer taps of the multi-carrier receiver 209 are modified usingthe known pulse shape used by the transmitter during the single-carrierpreamble and header. In this manner, the multi-carrier receiver 209 doesnot have to reacquire the OFDM portion of the signal, but uses theinformation obtained by the single-carrier receiver 207 along withpredetermined or known information for a smooth single-carrier tomulti-carrier signal transition. Also, a separate OFDM preamble/headeris not necessary, although it may be employed for both convenience andfine tuning, if desired.

Although a system and method according to the present invention has beendescribed in connection with the preferred embodiment, it is notintended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein, but on thecontrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, andequivalents, as can be reasonably included within the spirit and scopeof the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wireless communication system that isconfigured to communicate using a mixed waveform configuration,comprising: a transmitter configured to transmit according to a mixedwaveform configuration including a first portion modulated according toa single-carrier scheme with a preamble and header and a second portionmodulated according to a multi-carrier scheme; the waveform beingspecified so that a channel impulse response estimate obtainable fromthe first portion is reusable for acquisition of the second portion; anda receiver configured to acquire and receive packets with a mixedwaveform configuration.
 2. The wireless communication system of claim 1,wherein the transmitter maintains power, carrier phase, carrierfrequency, timing, and multi-path spectrum between the first and secondportions of the waveform.
 3. The wireless communication system of claim2, wherein the transmitter comprises: a first kernel that modulates thefirst portion according to the single-carrier modulation scheme; asecond kernel that generates the second portion according to themulti-carrier modulation scheme; and a switch, coupled to the first andsecond kernels, that selects the first kernel for the first portion andthe second kernel for the second portion to develop a transmit waveform.4. The wireless communication system of claim 3, wherein the firstkernel operates at a first sample rate and wherein the second kerneloperates at a second sample rate.
 5. The wireless communication systemof claim 3, wherein the first kernel employs a single-carrier spectrumthat resembles a multi-carrier spectrum of the multi-carrier modulationscheme.
 6. The wireless communication system of claim 5, wherein thefirst kernel employs a time shaping pulse that is specified incontinuous time.
 7. The wireless communication system of claim 6,wherein the time shaping pulse is derived employing an infinite impulseresponse of a brick wall approximation that is truncated using acontinuous-time window that is sufficiently long to achieve desiredspectral characteristics and sufficiently short to minimize complexity.8. The wireless communication system of claim 6, wherein the firstkernel samples the time shaping pulse according to a Nyquist criterion.9. The wireless communication system of claim 3, wherein the averageoutput signal power of the first kernel and the average output signalpower of the second kernel are maintained substantially equal.
 10. Thewireless communication system of claim 3, wherein the single-carriermodulation scheme is according to 802.11b Barkers and wherein themulti-carrier modulation scheme is according to the 802.11a standardemploying orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM).
 11. Thewireless communication system of claim 3, wherein the first kernelemploys a first sample rate clock, wherein the second kernel employs asecond sample rate clock, wherein the first and second sample rateclocks are aligned at predetermined timing intervals, and wherein afirst full sample of the multi-carrier modulation scheme begins onetiming interval after the beginning of a last sample of thesingle-carrier modulation scheme.
 12. The wireless communication systemof claim 3, wherein the single-carrier signal from the first kernel isterminated according to a windowing function specified for OFDM signalshaping defined in the 802.11a standard.
 13. The wireless communicationsystem of claim 3, wherein carrier frequency is coherent between thefirst and second kernels.
 14. The wireless communication system of claim3, wherein carrier phase is coherent between the first and secondkernels.
 15. The wireless communication system of claim 14, whereincarrier phase of the second kernel multi-carrier signal is determined bycarrier phase of a last portion of the second kernel single-carriersignal.
 16. The wireless communication system of claim 15, whereincarrier phase of the second kernel multi-carrier signal is rotated by acorresponding one of a plurality of rotation multiples, each rotationmultiple corresponding to one of a plurality of predetermined phases ofthe last portion of the second kernel single-carrier signal.
 17. Thewireless communication system of claim 16, wherein the first kernelsingle-carrier modulation scheme is according to 802.11b Barkers inwhich each Barker word is one of first, second, third and fourthpossible phases, wherein the second kernel multi-carrier modulationscheme is according to OFDM as defined in Annex G of the 802.11astandard, and wherein OFDM symbol are rotated by the second kernel byzero if the last Barker word has the first phase, by 90 degrees if thelast Barker word has the second phase, by 180 degrees if the last Barkerword has the third phase, and by −90 degrees if the last Barker word hasthe fourth phase.
 18. The wireless communication system of claim 3,wherein a requisite fidelity of the entire mixed waveform configurationis specified by a requisite fidelity specified for the multi-carrierscheme.
 19. The wireless communication system of claim 18, wherein therequisite fidelity is a function of data rate of the second portion andis determined by mean-squared-error normalized by signal power asspecified for OFDM in the 802.11a standard.
 20. The wirelesscommunication system of claim 2, wherein a symbol rate clock and acarrier frequency of the waveform are derived from the same referenceclock.
 21. The wireless communication system of claim 20, wherein partper million (PPM) error of a clock fundamental for symbol rate and PPMerror of a clock fundamental for carrier frequency are substantiallyequal.
 22. The wireless communication system of claim 2, wherein thereceiver comprises: a single-carrier receiver; a multi-carrier receiver,coupled to the single-carrier receiver; and a switch, coupled to thesingle-carrier receiver and the multi-carrier receiver, that provides afirst portion of a signal being received to the single-carrier receiverand that provides a second portion of the signal being received to themulti-carrier receiver; wherein the single-carrier receiver acquires afirst portion of an incoming signal including the preamble and headerand determines a channel impulse response (CIR) estimate, and whereinthe multi-carrier receiver uses the CIR estimate for a second portion ofthe incoming signal.
 23. The wireless communication system of claim 22,further comprising: the single-carrier receiver including a firstequalizer, wherein the single-carrier receiver programs taps of thefirst equalizer based on the CIR estimate; and the multi-carrierreceiver including a second equalizer, and wherein the multi-carrierreceiver modifies taps of the second equalizer based on the CIR estimatedetermined by the first equalizer.